Fertiliser-laden vessel breaks into two parts
The fertiliser-laden cargo vessel near Patenga Sea Beach breaks into two parts early Monday after staying partially grounded for last eight months as a crack developed at its bottom in October last year. Photo: Anurup Kanti Das
A fertiliser-laden cargo vessel, which remained partially grounded near Patenga Sea Beach here for last eight months after a crack developed at its bottom, finally broke into two parts in the early hours of Monday. Ocean Pearl, the vessel owned by an Indian company, arrived at the outer anchorage of Chittagong Port on September 3 last year carrying 12,000 tonnes of urea for Bangladesh Chemical Industries Corporation (BCIC). Around 4,000 tonnes of fertiliser were unloaded at Chittagong Port while the rest of the quantity was scheduled to be unloaded at Mongla Port, said sources in the vessel's local agent, Sygma Shipping Line. But the 162-metre long vessel could not enter Mongla Port as it had an excessive length of draft (depth of a vessel below the water line, especially when loaded), they added. The vessel authority tried to reduce the draft but the crack, which developed on October 13 last year, halted the effort, said Chittagong Port Authority officials. The local agent, however, started unloading four days back but the vessel started breaking early Sunday, said Bablu of Sygma Shipping Line adding that they so far unloaded 1,937 tonnes of fertiliser till Sunday.
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